U.S. patent application number 12/350824 was filed with the patent office on 2010-07-08 for dynamically creating and managing alternate contacts list.
This patent application is currently assigned to Microsoft Corporation. Invention is credited to Amit Gupta, Alexander M. Hehmeyer, Ginger Tien.
Application Number | 20100175000 12/350824 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42312515 |
Filed Date | 2010-07-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100175000 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gupta; Amit ; et
al. |
July 8, 2010 |
DYNAMICALLY CREATING AND MANAGING ALTERNATE CONTACTS LIST
Abstract
Alternate contacts information for a subscriber is dynamically
generated and managed by schematizing representation of alternate
contacts. Initial alternate contacts are computed based on
organization hierarchy, delegate information set by a user in
system directory, contacts information set by the user in personal
directories, and/or by other user defined settings. The information
is customized by the user and associated with user presence such
that a dynamic alternate contacts list is published to other users
based on a presence status of the user.
Inventors: |
Gupta; Amit; (Redmond,
WA) ; Tien; Ginger; (Bellevue, WA) ; Hehmeyer;
Alexander M.; (Bellevue, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MICROSOFT CORPORATION
ONE MICROSOFT WAY
REDMOND
WA
98052
US
|
Assignee: |
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond
WA
|
Family ID: |
42312515 |
Appl. No.: |
12/350824 |
Filed: |
January 8, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
715/753 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 67/24 20130101;
H04L 51/28 20130101; H04L 51/043 20130101; H04L 51/14 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/753 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/00 20060101
G06F003/00 |
Claims
1. A method to be executed at least in part in a computing device
for managing alternate contact information, the method comprising:
receiving contact information associated with a subscriber from a
plurality of sources; determining an initial alternate contact list
by aggregating the received contact information according to a
predefined schema; enabling the subscriber to modify the initial
alternate contact list; determining a presence status of the
subscriber; and publishing the modified alternate contact list as
part of the subscriber's contact card based on the subscriber's
presence status.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the subscriber to modify
the initial alternate contact list includes: enabling the
subscriber to select and prioritize contacts from the initial
alternate contact list; and enabling the subscriber to modify
information associated with the selected contacts according to the
predefined schema.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: enabling the
subscriber to define access parameters associated with the
published alternate contact list.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein received contact information
includes information associated with at least one from a set of: an
organizational directory, a personal directory, a custom
directory.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the received contact information
is aggregated based on at least one from a set of: an
organizational hierarchy, a functional hierarchy, an organization
policy, and a category of contacts.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: prioritizing the
initial alternate contact list based on a presence status of
individual contacts on the initial alternate contact list.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamic information associated
with each contact in the published alternate contact list is
provided to recipients of the subscriber's contact card through a
presence channel.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: enabling a recipient
application to display the alternate contact list as part of the
subscriber's contact card, wherein the recipient application is
further enabled to display a contact card of a selected alternate
contact in response to selection of that alternate contact.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein contact card of the selected
alternate contact includes another alternate contact list
associated with the selected alternate contact.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence status includes at
least one from a set of: available, unavailable, temporarily
unavailable, offline, away, busy, and out of office.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein a recipient application is
enabled to one of: display the alternate contact list as part of
the subscriber's contact card if the presence status is other than
available; direct calls for the subscriber to alternate contacts in
a predefined order of availability of other communication
modalities; notify a caller that the subscriber's communication is
routed; and define delegation information for the subscriber.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: enabling the
subscriber to generate a plurality of alternate contact lists each
alternate contact list being associated with a distinct presence
status; and enabling a recipient application to display an
alternate contact list corresponding to a current presence status
of the subscriber as part of the subscriber's contact card.
13. A communication system for managing alternate contact
information, the system comprising: a first server configured to:
receive contact information associated with a subscriber from a
plurality of sources; aggregate the received contact information to
an initial alternate contact list according to a predefined schema;
enable the subscriber to modify the initial alternate contact list
by at least one of: selecting contacts from the initial alternate
contact list, prioritizing the selected contacts, and modifying
information associated with the prioritized contacts according to
the predefined schema; and a second server configured to: determine
a presence status of the subscriber and the prioritized contacts;
and publish the modified alternate contact list as part of the
subscriber's contact card based on the subscriber's and the
prioritized contacts' presence status.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the predefined schema includes
at least one contact attribute from a set of: a name, an alias, a
contact description, a contact role, and contact availability.
15. The system of claim 13, wherein the contact information
includes at least one from a set of: an address, an organization,
an email address, a phone number, an image associated with the
contact; an organizational hierarchy; delegates information defined
by the subscriber; and team information defined by an
administrator.
16. The system of claim 13, wherein the received contact
information is further aggregated based on organization level rules
associated with at least one from a set of: access control,
security, and update frequency.
17. A computer-readable storage medium with instructions stored
thereon for managing alternate contact information, the
instructions comprising: receiving contact information associated
with a subscriber from a plurality of servers managing at least one
from a set of: an organizational directory, a personal directory, a
custom directory; determining a contact list by aggregating the
received contact information according to a predefined schema based
on organization level rules associated with at least one from a set
of: access control, security, and update frequency; generating an
alternate contact list for the subscriber from the contact list by:
automatically selecting and prioritizing contacts from the contact
list based on at least one of subscriber defined and system defined
rules; and enabling the subscriber to modify attributes associated
with the selected contacts according to the predefined schema;
determining a presence status of the subscriber; and publishing the
alternate contact list as part of the subscriber's contact card
based on the subscriber's presence status, wherein dynamic
information associated with each contact in the published alternate
contact list is provided to recipients of the subscriber's contact
card.
18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the alternate
contact list is presented to recipient applications even when the
presence status of the subscriber is available.
19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the alternate
contact list is re-prioritized based on each contact's presence
status.
20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the alternate
contact list is configured so that another alternate contact list
for a selected contact is presented to a recipient application
depending on the contact's presence status.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Modern communication systems have a large number of
capabilities including integration of various communication
modalities with different services. For example, instant messaging,
voice/video communications, and other forms of communication may be
combined with presence and availability information of subscribers.
For enhanced communication, such systems may provide subscribers
with the ability to provide instructions for various status
categories. For example, one or more alternate contacts may be
provided in an Out-Of-Office (OOF) message (voice or text).
[0002] However, conventional alternate contacts notifications are
not user-friendly. For example, when a user is trying to reach a
currently unavailable primary contact, they have to get the
notification about the unavailability of the primary contact first,
then to find an alternate contact to address their question.
Typically, OOF notification and alternate contact information is
stored in free form text, and it takes a user multiple steps to get
to that before finally contacting an alternate contact. The
sequence of steps may include setting and OOF note, sending an
email to primary contact, receiving the OOF note in email, parsing
the OOF note to find alternate contacts, and then contacting one of
the alternate contacts.
SUMMARY
[0003] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to
exclusively identify key features or essential features of the
claimed subject matter, nor is it intended as an aid in determining
the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0004] Embodiments are directed to dynamically creating and
managing alternate contacts information by schematizing
representation of alternate contacts as well as computing the
information from a variety of sources. According to some
embodiments, alternate contacts may be computed based on
organization hierarchy, delegates information set by a user in
system directory, contacts information set by the user in personal
directory(ies), or by other user defined settings. The information
of alternate contacts may be relayed in a presence channel being
coupled to a presence status of the user and provided to other
users.
[0005] These and other features and advantages will be apparent
from a reading of the following detailed description and a review
of the associated drawings. It is to be understood that both the
foregoing general description and the following detailed
description are explanatory and do not restrict aspects as
claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example unified
communications system, where embodiments may be implemented for
exchange of alternate contact information;
[0007] FIG. 2 illustrates an example system where alternate contact
information may be dynamically computed, customized, and
disseminated according to some embodiments;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating computation,
customization, updating, and dissemination of alternate contact
information according to embodiments;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a screenshot of an example subscriber contact card
displaying alternate contact information;
[0010] FIG. 5 is a networked environment, where a system according
to embodiments may be implemented;
[0011] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example computing operating
environment, where embodiments may be implemented; and
[0012] FIG. 7 illustrates a logic flow diagram for dynamic
generation and management of alternate contact information
according to embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] As briefly described above, alternate contact information
may be computed, customized, updated, and published based on a
variety of sources. In the following detailed description,
references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part
hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustrations specific
embodiments or examples. These aspects may be combined, other
aspects may be utilized, and structural changes may be made without
departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The
following detailed description is therefore not to be taken in a
limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined
by the appended claims and their equivalents.
[0014] While the embodiments will be described in the general
context of program modules that execute in conjunction with an
application program that runs on an operating system on a personal
computer, those skilled in the art will recognize that aspects may
also be implemented in combination with other program modules.
[0015] Generally, program modules include routines, programs,
components, data structures, and other types of structures that
perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data
types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
embodiments may be practiced with other computer system
configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor
systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,
minicomputers, mainframe computers, and comparable computing
devices. Embodiments may also be practiced in distributed computing
environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices
that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed
computing environment, program modules may be located in both local
and remote memory storage devices.
[0016] Embodiments may be implemented as a computer-implemented
process (method), a computing system, or as an article of
manufacture, such as a computer program product or computer
readable media. The computer program product may be a computer
storage medium readable by a computer system and encoding a
computer program that comprises instructions for causing a computer
or computing system to perform example process(es). The
computer-readable storage medium can for example be implemented via
one or more of a volatile computer memory, a non-volatile memory, a
hard drive, a flash drive, a floppy disk, or a compact disk, and
comparable media. The computer program product may also be a
propagated signal on a carrier (e.g. a frequency or phase modulated
signal) or medium readable by a computing system and encoding a
computer program of instructions for executing a computer
process.
[0017] Throughout this specification, the term "platform" may be a
combination of software and hardware components for managing
alternate contacts lists. Examples of platforms include, but are
not limited to, a hosted service executed over a plurality of
servers, an application executed on a single server, and comparable
systems. The term "server" generally refers to a computing device
executing one or more software programs typically in a networked
environment. However, a server may also be implemented as a virtual
server (software programs) executed on one or more computing
devices viewed as a server on the network. More detail on these
technologies and example operations is provided below. Also, the
term "dynamic" as used in conjunction with creation of alternate
contacts is intended to illustrate the distinction between
conventional approaches, where statically stored and managed
information is used with rigid rules, and embodiments, which enable
creation and updating of alternate contacts information based on
frequently changing parameters such as subscriber presence.
[0018] Referring to FIG. 1, diagram 100 of an example unified
communications system, where embodiments may be practiced, is
illustrated. A unified communication system is an example of modern
communication systems with a wide range of capabilities and
services that can be provided to subscribers. A unified
communication system is a real-time communications system
facilitating instant messaging, presence, audio-video conferencing,
and web conferencing functionality.
[0019] In a unified communication ("UC") system such as the one
shown in diagram 100, users may communicate via a variety of end
devices (102, 104), which are client devices of the UC system. Each
client device may be capable of executing one or more communication
applications for voice communication, video communication, instant
messaging, application sharing, data sharing, and the like. In
addition to their advanced functionality, the end devices may also
facilitate traditional phone calls through an external connection
such as through PBX 124 to a Public Switched Telephone Network
("PSTN"). End devices may include any type of smart phone, cellular
phone, any computing device executing a communication application,
a smart automobile console, and advanced phone devices with
additional functionality.
[0020] UC Network(s) 110 includes a number of servers performing
different tasks. For example, UC servers 114 provide registration,
presence, and routing functionalities. Routing functionality
enables the system to route calls to a user to anyone of the client
devices assigned to the user based on default and/or user set
policies. For example, if the user is not available through a
regular phone, the call may be forwarded to the user's cellular
phone, and if that is not answering a number of voicemail options
may be utilized. Since the end devices can handle additional
communication modes, UC servers 114 may provide access to these
additional communication modes (e.g. instant messaging, video
communication, etc.) through access server 112. Access server 112
resides in a perimeter network and enables connectivity through UC
network(s) 110 with other users in one of the additional
communication modes. UC servers 114 may include servers that
perform combinations of the above described functionalities or
specialized servers that only provide a particular functionality.
For example, home servers providing presence functionality, routing
servers providing routing functionality, and so on. Similarly,
access server 112 may provide multiple functionalities such as
firewall protection and connectivity, or only specific
functionalities.
[0021] Audio/Video (A/V) conferencing server 118 provides audio
and/or video conferencing capabilities by facilitating those over
an internal or external network. Mediation server 116 mediates
signaling and media to and from other types of networks such as a
PSTN or a cellular network (e.g. calls through PBX 124 or from
cellular phone 122). Mediation server 116 may also act as a Session
Initiation Protocol (SIP) user agent (e.g. Back-to-Back User Agent
"B2BUA").
[0022] In a UC system, users may have one or more identities, which
is not necessarily limited to a phone number. The identity may take
any form depending on the integrated networks, such as a telephone
number, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Uniform Resource
Identifier (URI), or any other identifier. While any protocol may
be used in a UC system, SIP is a preferred method.
[0023] SIP is an application-layer control (signaling) protocol for
creating, modifying, and terminating sessions with one or more
participants. It can be used to create two-party, multiparty, or
multicast sessions that include Internet telephone calls,
multimedia distribution, and multimedia conferences. SIP is
designed to be independent of the underlying transport layer.
[0024] SIP clients may use Transport Control Protocol ("TCP") to
connect to SIP servers and other SIP endpoints. SIP is primarily
used in setting up and tearing down voice or video calls. However,
it can be used in any application where session initiation is a
requirement. These include event subscription and notification,
terminal mobility, and so on. Voice and/or video communications are
typically done over separate session protocols, typically Real Time
Protocol ("RTP").
[0025] Alternate contact information may be initially computed
based on information from a directory server storing static contact
information, a communications server providing organizational
information, and/or a personal address book of a subscriber. The
subscriber may be enabled to customize the initial computation
results. One of the UC servers 114 described above acting as a
presence server may store the customized and updated alternate
contact information and with input from the subscriber regarding
their presence status, enable publication of the alternate contacts
list based on the presence status. More detailed examples are
discussed below.
[0026] While the example system in FIG. 1 has been described with
specific components such as mediation server, A/V server, and
similar devices, embodiments are not limited to these components or
system configurations and can be implemented with other system
configuration employing fewer or additional components.
Functionality of systems computing alternate contacts information
based on a variety of sources may also be distributed among the
components of the systems differently depending on component
capabilities and system configurations. Furthermore, embodiments
are not limited to unified communication systems. The approaches
discussed here may be applied to any data exchange in a networked
communication environment using the principles described herein
[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates an example system 200, where alternate
contact information may be dynamically computed, customized, and
disseminated according to some embodiments. While a system
according to embodiments is likely to include a number of servers
and services such as those illustratively discussed in FIG. 1, only
those relevant to embodiments are shown in FIG. 2.
[0028] Alternate contacts list for subscriber 232 may first be
computed based on information from a variety of sources such as
organizational contacts information from directory server 238. This
information is typically static, and may include organizational
hierarchy, functional hierarchy, addresses, phone numbers, titles,
and similar information for contacts. Other directories such as
various address books maintained by servers like communication
server 240 (e.g. personal address book associated with an email
application) may be used as information source as well.
[0029] The initial alternate contacts list may then be provided to
subscriber 232 through client device 234 for selection of alternate
contacts and customization of the information. To accomplish this
efficiently, a schema may be defined for alternate contacts
associating them with subscriber status(es). The schema may include
basic attributes like name and/or alias for the alternate contact,
a description of the contact category. The schema may include
additional attributes such as a relationship of a particular
alternate contact to the subscriber and/or other alternate
contacts, time of availability for the alternate contacts, and
similar information. Subscriber 232 may select a subset of the
alternate contacts for a particular status (e.g. OOF), customize
their attributes (or keep default values). The customized and
updated alternate contacts list may then be associated with the
subscriber's presence through presence server 236 and published to
other subscribers as part of the subscriber 232's presence through
communication server 240. For example, if the subscriber 232 is
OOF, the alternate contacts designated for OOF status may be
provide to other subscribers.
[0030] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram 300 illustrating computation,
customization, updating, and dissemination of alternate contact
information according to embodiments. Alternate contacts
information may be provided by a variety of sources and aggregated
according to a predefined schema.
[0031] Directory server 338 manages typically static information
356 such as organizational hierarchy, title, office/home/email
addresses, photo, and other similar data. These types of
information do not change frequently and can be managed by an
organizational service based on organization level rules (access,
security, update, etc. rules). Another information source is
communication server 340 providing delegates information set by the
user, team information set by the user or an administrator, and
similar information. Presence server 336 may also provide
information regarding default attributes of initial alternate
contacts. The aggregated alternate contact information 344 is
presented to the subscriber through client application 342 for
selection of alternate contacts from the aggregated list and
customization of default attributes such as names, aliases, contact
descriptions, roles, and the like. The selected and customized
alternate contacts group 346 may be stored by communication server
340 as a special group for the subscriber.
[0032] According to one embodiment, a distinct alternative contacts
group may be set for a number of default or user-defined statuses
(e.g. out of office, temporarily unavailable, prolonged
unavailability, and comparable ones). The alternate contacts group
346 defined according to the schema may be associated with a
corresponding presence status through presence server 336 and
published to client applications 348, 349, etc. when the
corresponding presence status is active (e.g. OOF). The alternate
contact information may be published through a live contact card to
the other users.
[0033] Subscribers may also be enabled to configure the alternate
contacts always to be displayed on their contact card, so other
subscribers can contact the alternate contacts when it is hard to
reach the primary contact. The display of alternate contacts on
subscriber's contact card further enables a caller to find them
before starting a communication session.
[0034] It should be noted that presence is not the only mechanism
for communicating the alternate contact data, it is simply one
option. Another example mechanism, according to embodiments, may be
the contact store itself. Conceptually, a system according to one
embodiment may comprise three major components: (1) publisher
computation of alternate contacts (the publisher auto-computes,
manually sets and gathers data regarding their alternate contacts);
(2) channel to communicate alternate contacts (e.g. a presence
server or a contact server acting as transport mechanism to get the
data from the publisher to the watcher); and (3) watcher
computation of alternate contacts (the entity watching may further
compute what to actually display). Some example channels may
include the presence server, the contact server, and the email
server (e.g. when sending an OOF email response).
[0035] It should also be noted that alternate contacts may be used
in cases other than when the user is OOF. Some examples include
when the publisher is offline, "Do Not Disturb", "Busy", or "Away"
statuses. Some example scenarios for utilizing alternate contacts
may be listed as:
[0036] 1. Availability [0037] i. Offline [0038] ii. Out of Office
[0039] iii. Away [0040] iv. Do Not Disturb or Busy
[0041] 2. Location [0042] i. Home [0043] ii. Office [0044] iii.
Business Travel
[0045] 3. Capabilities [0046] i. e.g., cannot do application
sharing but watcher wants to share a document
[0047] While embodiments are described with reference to "alternate
contacts", this term should not be construed as being limited to a
contacts list in context of an email or calendaring application.
Alternate contacts, as used herein, refers to a broader
understanding about letting others know who is in the user's social
network. For example, the alternate contact information may be
utilized in conjunction with "expert search" or "knowledge base" (a
user trying to find an "expert" who is related to them or someone
they know). Another example utilization area is "social awareness"
and "team building" (i.e. having a sense of who someone is working
with regularly can spur impromptu conversations and facilitate
better collaboration, particularly across groups). Users may wish
to reveal more presence data to colleagues of their colleagues than
to others in their enterprise generally.
[0048] Furthermore, embodiments may be implemented within "team
call" or "call delegation" areas built in to unified communication
systems. In general, anyone in the user's social network may be
automatically routed based on a set of rules. In a strict sense of
"alternate contacts" usage, routing may be manual, where the sender
decides what to do based on information given to them. However,
embodiments enable automatic routing based on the principles
described herein.
[0049] According to some embodiments, communication enabled
endpoints may employ alternate contact information to perform rule
based and/or system defined tasks such as: (1) a publisher may set
the rules to direct calls to alternate contacts in a particular
order of availability including routing of other communication
modalities like voice, instant message, video, etc.; (2) the
routing rules may be tied to alternate contacts based on the user's
presence availability; (3) a system may notify a caller that the
called party's communication is routed and the caller may decide to
control the call (e.g. cancel); (4) some devices may read the
contact presence and provide notification to the user before the
call is established (e.g. "the caller is not available and you may
want to reach alternate contacts"); (5) alternate contacts may also
be used to set delegation information (e.g. using the alternate
contact schema one may define who their delegate is to manage their
communication while they are unavailable.
[0050] FIG. 4 is a screenshot 400 of an example subscriber contact
card displaying alternate contact information. While alternate
contact information aggregated as described above may be utilized
by a number of applications to perform actions based on the
information (scheduling, organizational analysis, etc.), a
prominent use environment for alternate contact lists according to
some embodiments is displaying them on communication application
user interfaces.
[0051] Example subscriber contact card 452 is for John Doe whose
picture and status (available) are shown (454) prominently at the
top portion of the card. Further status information (working from
home, city, and call forwarding information) 456 are shown at the
upper portion of the card. This is followed by graphical icons 458
for activating various communication modes (e.g. phone call,
conference call, text messaging, etc.). A lower portion 460 of the
contact card 452 includes a listing of John Doe's sales team
contacts. Each contact is represented by their picture, name, and
title. The contacts are identified as a special group (Sales Team).
As shown in the figure, the selection of one of the contacts (Ed
Doe) may result in display of an alternate contact card for this
subscriber on the user interface.
[0052] The contact card 462 for Ed Doe is similar to the contact
card 452 in some aspects. For example, the subscriber's status,
picture and name are displayed at upper portions 464 and 466 of the
contact card, albeit in a slightly different configuration. Since
Ed Doe's status is "away", the contacts list 468 displayed
prominently on his contact card is Ed's alternate contacts
identified by their pictures, names, and contact categories. This
information enables another subscriber to determine an appropriate
subscriber to call instead of Ed during Ed's absence and initiate
communication directly with that subscriber instead of contacting
Ed first, getting an "away" notification, etc. As mentioned
previously, a contact card according to embodiments may include
other attributes such as relationships of the contacts to others
(e.g. Mutual Colleagues 470).
[0053] Subscriber information combined in a subscriber contact card
may be used by a number of applications directly (displaying the
card) or indirectly (consuming the data) such as communication
applications, electronic mail applications, calendar applications,
scheduling applications, word processing applications, spreadsheet
applications, database applications, and comparable ones. The
applications may be local applications or distributed services
executed by a central server and accessed through a browser or
similar application.
[0054] The above discussed scenarios, example systems, cards, or
applications are for illustration purposes. Embodiments are not
restricted to those examples. Other forms of subscriber data,
contact cards, and applications may be used in implementing
aggregation of alternate contact information in a similar manner
using the principles described herein.
[0055] FIG. 5 is an example networked environment, where
embodiments may be implemented. A platform providing communication
services may be implemented via software executed over one or more
servers 518 such as a hosted service. The platform may communicate
with client applications on individual computing devices such as a
cellular phone 513, a laptop computer 512, and desktop computer 511
(client devices) through network(s) 510.
[0056] As discussed above, modern communication technologies such
as UC services enable subscribers to utilize a wide range of
computing device and application capabilities in conjunction with
communication services. This means, a subscriber may use one or
more devices (e.g. a regular phone, a smart phone, a computer, a
smart automobile console, etc.) to facilitate communications.
Depending on the capabilities of each device and applications
available on each device, additional services may be enabled in
conjunction with the available communications. Furthermore,
subscribers are also provided presence information including
location, contact information, alternative contacts, availability
status, calendar information, and similar data that may be used in
determining whether or not to initiate communication with a
subscriber, which mode of communication, and similar decisions.
[0057] As discussed previously, client devices 511-513 are used to
facilitate communications through a variety of modes between
subscribers of the communication system. Presence information and
other data are provided to the client applications along with
dynamic alternate contacts information in a subscriber contact
card. Thus, alternate contact information generated from a
directory server, organizational and personal contact lists,
hierarchies, and comparable sources may be aggregated and forwarded
to client applications being executed client devices 511-513. Upon
customization by a subscriber, the alternate contact information
may be associated with presence information for the subscriber and
optionally with presence information of alternate contacts, and
provide to other users of the communication system. Information
associated with subscribers and facilitating communications such as
presence information may be stored in one or more data stores (e.g.
data store 516), which may be managed by any one of the servers 518
or by database server 514.
[0058] Network(s) 510 may comprise any topology of servers,
clients, Internet service providers, and communication media. A
system according to embodiments may have a static or dynamic
topology. Network(s) 510 may include a secure network such as an
enterprise network, an unsecure network such as a wireless open
network, or the Internet. Network(s) 510 may also coordinate
communication over other networks such as PSTN or cellular
networks. Network(s) 510 provides communication between the nodes
described herein. By way of example, and not limitation, network(s)
510 may include wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and
other wireless media.
[0059] Many other configurations of computing devices,
applications, data sources, and data distribution systems may be
employed to implement a system for generating, updating, and
managing alternate contact information. Furthermore, the networked
environments discussed in FIG. 5 are for illustration purposes
only. Embodiments are not limited to the example applications,
modules, or processes.
[0060] FIG. 6 and the associated discussion are intended to provide
a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment in
which embodiments may be implemented. With reference to FIG. 6, a
block diagram of an example computing operating environment for an
application according to embodiments is illustrated, such as
computing device 600. In a basic configuration, computing device
600 may be a communication server or another server for managing
alternate contact information and include at least one processing
unit 602 and system memory 604. Computing device 600 may also
include a plurality of processing units that cooperate in executing
programs. Depending on the exact configuration and type of
computing device, the system memory 604 may be volatile (such as
RAM), non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or some
combination of the two. System memory 604 typically includes an
operating system 605 suitable for controlling the operation of the
platform, such as the WINDOWS.RTM. operating systems from MICROSOFT
CORPORATION of Redmond, Wash. The system memory 604 may also
include one or more software applications such as program modules
606, communication application 622, and contact management module
624.
[0061] Communication application 622 may be any application that
facilitates communication between client applications and servers
relevant to an enhanced communication system such as presence
servers. Contact management module 624 may receive alternate
contact related information from a variety of sources such as a
directory server, client device, and so on, and generate a
dynamically updateable alternate contact list as discussed
previously. Contact management module 624 and application 622 may
be separate applications or integral modules of a hosted service
that provides enhanced communication services to client
applications/devices. This basic configuration is illustrated in
FIG. 6 by those components within dashed line 608.
[0062] Computing device 600 may have additional features or
functionality. For example, the computing device 600 may also
include additional data storage devices (removable and/or
non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks,
or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 6 by
removable storage 609 and non-removable storage 610. Computer
readable storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile,
removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or
technology for storage of information, such as computer readable
instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.
System memory 604, removable storage 609 and non-removable storage
610 are all examples of computer readable storage media. Computer
readable storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,
EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital
versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,
magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage
devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired
information and which can be accessed by computing device 600. Any
such computer readable storage media may be part of computing
device 600. Computing device 600 may also have input device(s) 612
such as keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input
device, and comparable input devices. Output device(s) 614 such as
a display, speakers, printer, and other types of output devices may
also be included. These devices are well known in the art and need
not be discussed at length here.
[0063] Computing device 600 may also contain communication
connections 616 that allow the device to communicate with other
devices 618, such as over a wireless network in a distributed
computing environment, a satellite link, a cellular link, and
comparable mechanisms. Other devices 618 may include computer
device(s) that execute communication applications, other directory
or presence servers, and comparable devices. Communication
connection(s) 616 is one example of communication media.
Communication media can include therein computer readable
instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a
modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport
mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term
"modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more of its
characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode
information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,
communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or
direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,
infrared and other wireless media.
[0064] Example embodiments also include methods. These methods can
be implemented in any number of ways, including the structures
described in this document. One such way is by machine operations,
of devices of the type described in this document.
[0065] Another optional way is for one or more of the individual
operations of the methods to be performed in conjunction with one
or more human operators performing some. These human operators need
not be collocated with each other, but each can be only with a
machine that performs a portion of the program.
[0066] FIG. 7 illustrates a logic flow diagram 700 for generating
and managing alternate contact information according to
embodiments. Process 700 may be implemented as part of an enhanced
communication system that includes exchange of presence information
about subscribers.
[0067] Process 700 begins with operation 710, where alternate
contact recommendation is computed for a subscriber based on a
number of information sources such as an organizational hierarchy,
organizational directory information, personal directory
information, other pre-configured contacts lists, and comparable
data. At operation 720 following operation 710, a user selection of
alternate contacts from the recommendation and additional custom
information from the user is received. The additional information
may include attributes for alternate contacts such as their roles,
priority levels, and similar characteristics. Some of this
information may also be pre-configured in the information sources
used at operation 710.
[0068] From operation 720, processing branches out to separate
paths. One of the paths includes operation 730, where the
customized and/or updated alternate contacts list is stored and
coupled with a subscriber status schema (e.g. an OOF schema). A
static group of contacts may be generated from the stored alternate
contacts list at optional operation 740 for display in the
subscriber's contact list as the current alternate contacts list.
The subscriber may use this visual feedback in future
updates/customizations of their alternate contacts list.
[0069] Also following operation 720, a determination is made
whether the user is out of office at decision operation 750. Out Of
Office (OOF) is one example status for the subscriber, where the
alternate contacts list may be utilized. Embodiments are not
limited to OOF scenarios, however. Alternate contacts lists may be
generated/updated for a number of different presence statuses and
used as discussed herein. If the user is OOF (or in a predefined
presence status), the OOF information is retrieved and presence for
the subscriber updated with OOF notification at operation 760.
Subsequently, alternate contacts information associated with the
OOF status may be retrieved (as defined by the OOF schema) and
published as part of the presence information for the subscriber
such that other subscribers of the system can be provided
up-to-date and actionable alternate contact information such as
those discussed in conjunction with FIG. 4.
[0070] The operations included in process 700 are for illustration
purposes. Dynamically generating and managing alternate contact
information in a subscriber contact card may be implemented by
similar processes with fewer or additional steps, as well as in
different order of operations using the principles described
herein.
[0071] The above specification, examples and data provide a
complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition
of the embodiments. Although the subject matter has been described
in language specific to structural features and/or methodological
acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the
appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features
or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts
described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the
claims and embodiments.
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